The present invention is directed to toasters and, more particularly, to Gravity Biased Grill Wires for a toaster, which can be used to grip and center a food item within a toasting compartment of a toaster.
The general concept of toasters having food cages that grip and center food items in a toasting position is commonly used to hold a food item within a toasting compartment such that either side of the food item is heated or toasted evenly. Even toasting of either side of a food item is desirable and can be accomplished by gripping and centering the food item between heating elements of the toaster that are each heated to a predetermined temperature.
It is generally well known to grip and center a food item using a food cage within a toasting compartment of a toaster by actuating the food cage to grip the food item when a carriage contacts a lever of the food cage. In a common configuration, a food carriage, which supports the food item to be toasted, travels toward a toasting position adjacent a base of the toaster and contacts a lever attached to the food cage. Contact between the carriage and the lever mechanically actuates the food cage to grip the food item or actuates a spring to urge the food cage toward a gripping position. The food cage generally attempts to position the food item within the toasting compartment such that sides of the food item are an equal distance from the heating elements. The food cage gripping mechanisms are generally comprised of either mechanical contacts between the food carriage and the food cage and/or spring loaded actuators that urge the food cage toward the gripping position.
For several reasons, prior art food cages for gripping and centering food items may be complicated and unreliable. Initially, spring actuated gripping food cages have a tendency to wear and become less effective with age. Such a phenomenon can be exaggerated when the spring is used in high temperature applications adjacent toasting compartments of a toaster. In addition, the inherent hysteresis effect of mechanical springs tends to degrade the spring constant of a spring and spring performance. In addition, mechanical levers that actuate gripping of a food item through contact with a food cage may fail due to an overload placed upon the lever by inserting an oversized food item into the food cage. The extreme temperatures of a toasting compartment may also exaggerate the stresses and fatigue response of the mechanical food cage grippers.
The Gravity Biased Grill Wires of the present invention are designed to overcome the limitations of prior art food grippers. Specifically, the Gravity Biased Grill Wires are comprised of food cages that grip and center a food item within a toasting compartment without the use of mechanical contact between a carriage and the food cages and without the use of springs or other biasing elements that urge the food cages toward a gripping position. Accordingly, the mechanical failures seen in the prior art food gripping cages are generally not encountered with the Gravity Biased Grill Wires. Specifically, the Gravity Biased Grill Wires utilize the weight of the food item and/or the food cages themselves to urge the food cages toward a gripping position and to center the food item within a toasting compartment. Therefore, the Gravity Biased Grill Wires eliminate springs that have properties that degrade and mechanical levers, which may encounter extreme load failures and/or fatigue failures if oversized food items are positioned within the food cage.
Briefly stated, the present invention is directed to a toaster for toasting foodstuffs. The toaster is comprised of a housing including a toasting compartment and a heater located within the housing. A food cage is movably supported in the toasting compartment for movement between a gripping position and a receiving position. A carriage is movably supported in the housing for movement between a toasting position adjacent a lower portion of the toasting compartment and a loading position adjacent an upper portion of the toasting compartment. The carriage is configured to receive and support a food item to be toasted in a loading position. The food cage is positioned in the receiving position when the carriage is positioned in the loading position and is positioned in the gripping position when the carriage is positioned in the toasting position. The food cage is urged toward the gripping position by gravitational forces exerted by the food cage itself and the food item as the food item on the carriage moves toward the toasting position.
In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a method of gripping and centering a food item in a toasting compartment of a toaster. A method of gripping and centering the food item of the Gravity Biased Grill Wires includes the initial step of inserting the food item onto a carriage that is positioned in a receiving position in the toasting compartment. The carriage is then urged toward a toasting position where the food item is deposited onto a food cage such that gravitational forces exerted by the food item urge the food cage to grip and center the food item within the toasting compartment.